Knitting machine



Aug. Z2, 1 933. c MILLER 7 1,923,994

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed April 19, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 E [ZZZ/612K011:

Aug. 22, 1933. M. c. MILLER 1,923,994

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed April 19, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 ENIOR.

Aug. 22, 1933. M c, MILLER KNITTING momma Original Filed April '19, 19.30

5 sheets-she t 5 Aug. 22, 1933. M. c. MILLER 1,923,994

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed April 19, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug. 22, 1933. M. c. MILLER 1,923,994

KNITTING MACHINE I Original Filed April 19, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 1' ,/0 v I F 16: Fgza F 21 2 2.

I I ma FgUZ atented Aug. 22, 1933 PATENT OFFICE KNITTING MACHINE Max 0. Miller, Cumberland,

R. I., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a Corporation of New Jersey Application April 19, 1930, Serial No. 445,636

Renewed January 27, 1933 Claims.

The present invention relates to lmitting machines and is herein disclosed as embodied in a full-fashioned straight machine empl y 001- lectively operated spring needles. In a machine of this description, it is customary when shapingthe stocking, to transfer a number of edge loops inwardly along the needle series by-means of transfer points which engage with the needles to take the loops therefrom and transfer these loops inwardly. Ordinarily, the transfer points are arranged to transfer these loops two needles at a time on each side of the fabric, thereby narrowing the total width of the cloth by four needles. These machines are further provided with a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric which is adapted to draw the loops away from the needles on a substantially horizontal plane, and is located a considerable distance from the needles so that the resiliency in the fabric itself is utilized to obtain the necessary resiliency in the take-up action as the needles are inoved toward and away from fixed pressing surfaces.

Difficulty has been experienced in the regulation of the fabric tension to obtain a sufficient tension on all the fabric loops to prevent castingoif or catching of the needle loops on'the beards of the needles during the dummy movements which are necessarily given to the needles during the operation of the narrowing devices. The loops which are to be transferred during the narrowing operation are necessarily moved away from the needle hooks to enable these loops to clear the beards of the needles, thus causing the major part of the fabric tension to be carried on the transfer points carrying these relativelyfew loops during the narrowing operation. In order to prevent bending of the transfer points and-the needles, it is therefore necessary to considerably lighten the tension at this time so that there. is almost no tension exerted on the remaining loops to hold these loops in engagement with the shanks of the needles. It has been found that there is a tendency for the beards of the idle needles and more particularly of those needles adjoining the narrowing points, during the dummy action of the needles, to cast off or pierce the loops held thereon, resulting in a. large percentage of drop stitches or, where only a few strands of the yarn are passed through the needle beard, the production of a much weakened fabric.

The present invention contemplates the provision of means for locally tensioning a portion of the fabric to provide an adequate tension on those fabric loops held on the idle needles during the. narrowing operation which have been found by experience most likely to be cast off over the needle hooks.

.More broadly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a machine of this general description having a fabric take-up with an auxiliary take-up device for locally tensioning a portion of the fabric.

With these objects in view,'a feature of the invention consists in the provision of a member 5 which is adapted to engage the fabric and tension the loops immediately adjacent the narrowing points during the narrowing operation.

Other features of the invention consist in the devices, combinations, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed which,

connection of the present invention therewith;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation illustrating one section of the machine; Fig. 3 is a detail view,

partly in section, looking from the left, illustrat- 5 ing particularly the narrowing machine and the mechanism herein disclosed for locally tensioning certain portions of the fabric; Fig. 4 is a detail view in front elevation, illustrating particularly the narrowing mechanism as applied to 0 one section of the machine; Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive are detail views taken substantially on the line 5-5 ofQFig. 4, illustrating the several steps in the operation of the narrowing points, and the auxiliary tensioning device during the narrowing operation; Figs. 11 to 14 are somewhat diagrammatic views of the fabric showing the operation of the narrowing points and auxiliary tensioning Finger, Fig. 11 illustrating the positions of the parts before the narrowing mechanism is brought into operation, Fig. 12 showing the narrowing points engaging the loops with the auxiliary tensioning finger engaging the fabric to tension the loops held on the idle needles immediately adjacent the narrowing points, Fig.

13 illustrating the transfer movement of the transfer points with the auxiliary tensioning finger in operation, and Fig. 14 being a view of the fabric after the narrowing operation has been completed; Fig. 15 is a View of the fabric during the narrowing operation under ordinary conditions where no auxiliary tension is employed, illustrating the tendency of the loop held on the idle needle immediately adjacent the narrowing points to move away from the needle shank; Figs. 16, 17 and 18 are detail views illustrating the correct position of the loop against the needle shank; Figs. 19, 20 and 21 are detail views illustrating the tendency of the loop held on the idle needle adjacent to the narrowing points to be twisted to the wrong side of the needle beard during the transfer movement of the narrowing points; and Figs. 22 and 23 are detail views illustrating the manner in which the needle loop may be partially or completely cast off when it is permitted to move away from the needle shanks, as illustrated in Fig. 15. p

The full-fashioned machine herein disclosed as embodying the several features of the invention comprises a multiple-section machine, only one section of which is illustrated in the drawings. Each section is provided with spring beard needles 24 which are rigidly held in a needle bar 26 which is adaptedfor vertical and lateral movements to cause the needles to cooperate effectively with the other knitting elements. The machine is also equipped with fixed pressing surfaces 28 and independently movable sinkers 30 which are mounted to slide in horizontal slots formed in the frame 32. The needle bar 26 is supported on horizontally arranged lever arms 34 which are secured to the rock shaft 36 and are rotated about their pivot to impart vertical advancing and retracting movements to the needle by means of a depending cam lever 38 which is provided with a cam roll 40 adapted to engage with a corresponding cam on the cam shaft 42. A tension spring indicated at 44 is connected to the lower end of the cam lever 38 and tends to hold the cam roll 40 in its inner position in contact with its operating cam. Lateral movements are imparted to the needles toward and away from the fixed pressing surfaces 28 by means of a depending arm 46 formed on the needle bar 26 which is connected at its lower end by a link 48 to a second depending lever arm 50 secured to a rock shaft 52 which is rocked to impart the desired lateral movements to the needles by means of a cam lever on the rock shaft.

Narrowing devices are provided which are adapted to engage with a number of the end loops at each end of the fabric and transfer them in wardly two loops at a time towards the center of the needle series. These devices comprise two sets of narrowing points 54 which are mounted on two supports 56 and 58 located one at each end of the needle series. The support 56 is secured by means of a screw 60 to the upper of two parallel bars 62 and 64 and the support 58 is similarly secured by means of a set screw 66 to the lower bar 64. These bars are mounted to slide relatively to each other to move the narrowing points towards the center of the needle series in recesses 68 formed in brackets 70 which are carried on a ranged cam lever which is pivotally secured at its forward end to apivot shaft 82,. Intermediate its length, the cam lever 80 is provided with a cam roll 84 which is adapted to ride on the actuating cam 86 to advance and retract the transfer points into and out of operative engagement with the needle. During the normal operation of the machine, however, the cam shaft 42 is positioned axially to cause the disk 88 to engage with the cam roll 84 to maintain the transfer points in an inoperative position. In order to raise the transfer points still further into an inoperative position away from the needles, a lever arm 90 is sleeved to turn on a shaft 92 and is provided at its upper end with a roll 94 which is adapted to engage with a cam surface 96 formed on the under side of the horizontal link 80. There is also sleeved to the shaft 92 to turn with the lever arm 90 a second lever arm 98 which is connected by means of a link 100 to a short arm 102 formed on the hub of a hand lever 104 which is pivoted at 82 to the.

machine frame. When the hand lever 104 is rotated about its pivot in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 1, the arm 90 and lever 98 are advanced to bring the cam roll 94 into engagement with the cam surface 96 to raise the transfer points to inoperative position and are locked in this position by the movement of the pivotal connection between the link 100 and the arm 102 past the line of centers which passes through the pivot 82.

During the narrowing operation, it is necessary to reduce the tension on the fabric very materially inasmuch as at this time, the transfer points are brought down into engagement with a small portion of the needles at each end of the needle series and carry these loops backwardly away from the needle shanks, thus bringing the whole strain of the fabric take-up onto this comparatively small number of loops. Due partly to the relieving of the tension on the fabric and partly to the fact that the moving of the end loops tends to pull the whole fabric forward, there is practically no tension exerted at this time on the idle needles. In a machine of this description, in which the needles are fixedly mounted to move as a unit, it is necessary to give the entire needle series a dummy advancing and retracting movement to cooperate with the narrowing points to transfer the loops. These relative movements of the needles and the narrowing points which take place in the usual manner may be briefly outlined with reference to Figs. 5 to 10 of the drawings. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the transfer points are moved down into contact with the raised. needle to bring the points into the needle eye'and. these parts are then retracted in unison to transfer the loops onto the transfer points. The needles and the transfer points are then given a partial upward movement, the transfer points at this time being brought clear of the needle beards, as shown in Fig. 8, and. are then transferred laterally along the needle series into register with the proper needles. The needles and the transfer elements are again retracted, bringing the loops down over the needle shanks. The needles are now raised preparatory for knitting the next course, the narrowing points at the same time being raised above the needles to leave the loops on the needle shanks, as shown in Fig. 10. The greatest danger of casting off the loops on the idle needles is encountered during the downward movement of the needles, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, when it is necessary to relieve the tension to allow the its loops to slide readily onto the narrowing points,

and again during that portion of the transfer operation shown. in Figs. 8 and 9, when the needles are again retracted to place the loops again on the needle shanks.

It has been found that under these conditions, the loop or loops immediately adjoining the narrowing points tend particularly to be drawn away from the needle shank as in the case of the loop 108 shown in Fig. 12 and in Figs. 22 and 23, with the result that on the downward stroke of this idle needle, the loop may either move outside the needle beard or be pierced, thereby resulting in a partially or completely dropped sitch. The partial or entire dropping of the loop 108 immediately adjoining the narrowing points, may also be caused by the turning of this loop to the side of the needle shank during the lateral movement of the narrowing points to transfer the loops at that stage of the operation illustrated in Figs. 9, 13, 14, 20 and 21. There is a tendency at this time for the yarn indicated at 110 in Fig. 13 which is a continuation of the yarn formed in the loop 108 to twist the loop 108 sidewise somewhat as shown in Figs. 20 and 21. The needle at this point of the operation is below the lmockover surface as shown in Fig. 9, so that as the needle rises, the loop twisted so that both legs are on one side of the needle shank may pass from the needle hook down and ofi the end of the needle beard in some such -manner as indicated in Figs. 19, 20 and 21, resulting in a partial or a completely dropped loop.

In order to" overcome these difiiculties, the present invention contemplates the provision of an auxiliary tensioning device which is rendered operative during the narrowing operation to apply a sufiicient tension to the loop or loops on the idle needles immediately adjoining the narrowing points to maintain these loops in close contact with their needle shanks.

The auxiliary tensioning devices herein disclosed for applying a tension locally to the loops on the idle needles immediately adjacent the narrowing points comprise a finger 112 which is provided with each set of narrowing points and is secured by means of a set screw in the lower end of a corresponding lever arm, the arm provided with the left-hand set of narrowing points as shown in Fig. 4 being indicated at 114, and that provided with a right-hand set of narrowing points being indicated at 116. The lever arm 114 is sleeved on a pivot shaft 118 which is mounted on a bracket 120 secured to the support 56 for the left-hand set of narrowing points by means of the set screw 60. A comparatively light spring 121coiled about the pivot shaft 118 and secured at one end to the bracket and at its other end to the hub. of the lever arm 114 tends to swing the lever 114 and the finger 112 towards the transfer points. The lever arm 116 for the right-hand set of narrowing points is similarly sleeved on a pivot shaft 124 mounted on a bracket 126 which is in turn secured to the support 58 by means of the set screw 66. A spring 130 coiled about the pivot shaft 124 secured at one end to the bracket 120 and at its other end to the hub of the lever arm 116 tends to move the lever arm 116 and its corresponding finger 112 towards the narrowing points. The fingers 112 are moved yieldingly outwardly away from the transfer points to supply the required local tensioning strain on the fabric by means of two lever arms 132, one being provided with each auxiliary tension device and adapted to engage with corresponding set screws 134 arid 136 mounted respectively on the lever arms 114 and 116. The tensioning levers 132 are loosely sleeved to turn on the square shaft 138, being supported in a bearing formed on two brackets and 142, the

bracket 140 being secured to the upper bar 62 and the bracket 142 being secured to move with the lower bar 64. The lever arms 132 are tensioned to move the arms 114 and 116 yieldingly;

away from the transfer points and the needles by means of the comparatively heavy springs 146 and 148 which are coiled about the square shaft 138 and are connected at one end to their r'espective brackets 140 and 142 and at their other ends to the hubs of the tensioning levers 1321. During the normal operation of the machine, the

tensioning levers 132 are held in a retracted position against the pressure of their springs 146 and 148'by means of the short actuating levers 150 and 152 which are secured to turn with the square shaft 138 and are each provided with offset extremities to engage with the tensioning levers 132.

The square shaft 138 which is provided with each section of the machine is mounted to rotate in bearings provided at each end of the section in brackets 154 which are secured to the usual cover plates 156 for holding the bars 62 and 64 in their recesses. The bar 138 is held against endwise movement by means of a collar 158 secured I to the left end of the bar and by means of a lever arm 160 secured to the right-hand end of the bar. The rotation of the bar in a counter-clockwise di-- rection, as viewed in Fig. 3, under the pressure of the springs 146 and 148 bearing against the levers 132 is limited by means of a collar 162 secured to the square shaft 138 and adapted to engage with a corresponding abutment; on the bracket 154. The lever arm 160 is connected by means of a pin 164 with a corresponding lever arm 166 v ing levers 150 and 152 carrying with them the tensioning levers 132, so that the levers 114 and 116 supporting the fingers 112 may be moved inwardly under the pressure of their springs 121 and 130. This rotary movement is imparted to the shaft 138 by means of a fixed cam 168 which is mounted on a bracket 170 in the machine and is adapted to engage with the pin 164 connecting the lever arms 160 and 166 as these parts are moved downwardly with the narrowing mechanism. The operation of the auxiliary tensioning fingers 112 to tension the fabric loops held on the idle needles immediately adjoining the narrowing points during the narrowing operation is best shown in Figs. 3, 5 to 10 inclusive, 12 and 13 of the drawings. As the narrowing points are moved downwardly into operating position to take the loops from the needles, the pin 164 engages the fixed cam 168 to rotate the square shaft 138, causing the fingers 112 to be moved I inwardly to engage the fabric at apoint relatively close to the needles, as shown in Fig. 6. With the continued downward movement of the narrowing mechanism, the pin 164 rides off the '7 high portion of the cam 168, allowing the fingers 112 to be moved yieldingly away from the needles under the pressure on their springs 148 and 148 to tension the fabric. When the needles are again depressed at the end of the dummy movement required during the transfer operation, the narrowing points are again moved downwardly as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, so that the fingers 112 may again be moved yieldingly to the right to locally tension the fabric during the downward movement of the needles and thus to prevent casting off of the loops immediately adjoining the transfer points as above described.

With this construction and operation of the parts, it will be seen that a tensioning strain is applied to the desired localized portions of the fabric from a time just prior to the moment when .the tips of the needle beards pass the old fabric line on the down stroke of the needle until after the needle hooks have again risen slightly above the knockover level. The loops held on the idle needles immediately adjacent the narrowing points are thus held firmly against the needle shanks during the dummy movements of the needles in the narrowing operation to prevent the engagement of the loops with the tips of the needle beards on the downward movement of the needles and also to prevent these loops from being twisted over the tops of the needles when the adjoining loops are moved inwardly by the narrowing points and the needles are at substantially their lowest point.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine, the combination with a series of needles and cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of means for transferring loops laterally from needle to needle for shaping the fabric, a take-up for tensioning the fabric, and auxiliary take-up means for tensioning portions of the fabricadjacent the said transfer means.

2. In a knitting machine, the combination with a series of needles and cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of means for transferring loops along the needle series to shape the fabric, and a fabric take-up adapted to tension only the portions of the fabric adjacent said transfer means.

3. In a knitting machine, the combination with a series of needles and cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of a series.

of transfer points for narrowing the fabric, a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, and an auxiliary take-up for tensioning only the portions of the fabric adjacent the said transfer points.

4. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting elements to'produce a knitted fabric, of a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, a series of narrowing points for transferring a portion of the loops along the needle series to narrow the fabric, and an auxiliary tensioning device adapted to engage with the fabric during the operation of the said narrowing points to exert additional tension on' the loops adjacent the said narrowing points during the narrowing operation.

5. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of a series of narrowing'points for transferring a portion of the loops along the needle series to narrow the fabric, a

fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric adapted to be released during the narrowing operation, and ,an auxiliary tensioning device adapted to engage with the fabric during the operation of the said narrowing points to apply tension 19- cally to the loops adjacent the said narrowing points during the narrowing operation.

6. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting ele ments to produce a knitted fabric, of a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, .a narrowing mechanism comprising a support movable lengthwise of the needle series, a series of narrowing points mounted thereon to cooperate with the needles, and a device movable with the transfer points adapted to engage with and tension the fabric adjacent the said transfer points.

7. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, a narrowing mechanism comprising a support adapted for movement longitudinally of the needles and lengthwise of the needle series, a series of narrowing points mounted thereon to cooperate with the needles, a fabric engaging member movably mounted on the support, means for moving the said member yieldingly away from the transfer points to tension the fabric adjacent the said transfer points, and means acting when rendered active to move the said fabric tensioning member towards the transfer points.

8. In'a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, and a narrowing mechanism comprising a support adapted for movement longitudinally of the needles and lengthwise of the needle series, a series. of narrowing points mounted thereon to cooperate with the needles, an auxiliary fabric tensioning member movably mounted on the support adapted to move yieldingly away from the transfer points, means for raising and lowering the transfer mechanism into operative position, and cam' means adapted during the downward movement of thetransfer points into operating position to move the tensioning member to engage the fabric at a point relatively close to the transfer points.

9. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, narrowing points for shaping the fabric, and an additional fabric tensioning device comprising points adapted to engagewith and apply tension to localized portions. of the fabric.

10. In a spring beard needle knitting machine, the combination with cooperating knitting elements of loop transfer instrumentalities, a normally inoperative fabric tensioning means rendered operative on the down stroke of the needles in cooperation with said loop transfer instrumentalities to apply a tensioning strain to the fabric at the moment when the tips of the needle beards near and pass the old fabric line.

11. In a spring beard needle knitting machine, the combination with cooperating knitting elements of loop transfer instrumentalities, a norreaaeee adapted to maintain the tension until after the hooks rise slightly above the knockover level.

12. In a full-fashioned spring beard needle knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of a fabric take-up to tension the fabric, a narrowing mechanism comprising a support adapted for movement longitudinally of the needles and lengthwise of the needle series, a series of narrowing points supported thereon to cooperate with the needles, an auxiliary fabric tensioning member pivotally mounted on the support to move toward and away from the transfer points, a tensioning lever adapted to engage with and move the auxiliary fabric tensioning member yieldingly away from the transfer points, spring means tending to hold the said member in contact with the tensioning lever, and cam actuated means for moving the tensioning lever in a direction to bring the auxiliary tensioning member into close proximity to the transfer points.

13.1n a full-fashioned spring beard needle knitting machine, the combination with a series of collectively movable needles and their cooperating knitting elements to produce a knitted fabric, of a fabric take-up to tension the fabric, a narrowing mechanism comprising a support adapted for movement longitudinally of the needles and lengthwise of the needle series, a series of narrowing points supported thereon to cooperate with the needles, an auxiliary fabric tensioning member movably mounted on the support to move toward and away from the transfer points, a tensioning lever adapted to engage with and move the auxiliary fabric tensioning member yieldingly away from the transfer points, an actuating lever engaging with the tensioning lever and auxiliary fabric tensioning member toward the transfer points, a fixed cam, and sliding connections for operating the actuating lever from the cam.

14. In a spring beard needle knitting machine, the combination with cooperating knitting elements, of a series of needles, loop transfer instrumentalities, a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, and an additional fabric tensioning means rendered operative in cooperation with said loop transfer instrumentalities to apply a tensioning strain to the fabric on the down stroke of the needles at the moment when the tips of the needle beards near and pass the old fabric line.

15. In a spring beard needle knitting machine, the combination with cooperating knitting elements, of a series of needles, loop transfer instrumentalities, a fabric take-up for tensioning the fabric, and an additional fabric tensioning means IVIAX C. MIIELER.

eerirrrreerr or eoeerer'ion- Pareer No. 1,923,994.

MAX ill.

Auger 22, rear,

Ill/HELLER la is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered parent requiring eorreetiorr as follows: Page 5., line lill, claim 35, after "operative" insert the words in cooperation with said loop transfer a instrinmentaliries'; and that thesaid Letters Patent shonldbe read wide this eorrectioir'fhereie that the same may conform to the reeord of fine ease in the E'Parerit @ffieen (Seal) Bryan may Aching @oiseiwei fa e 

